Rachel Bilson: ‘All men hate harem pants, but I don’t give a s—t’

Rachel Bilson (Danny Feld/The CW)When it comes to fashion, Rachel Bilson and her "Hart of Dixie" character Dr. Zoe Hart have one cardinal rule: Don't pay too much attention to what other people think about your style.

"All men hate harem pants, but I don't give a s—t," she tells omg! from Yahoo!. "They are so comfortable. You get a little room, you know?" And just because guys don't always dig her look doesn't mean she's going to stop wearing one of her favorite wardrobe staples. Similarly, her character Zoe — a New York City surgeon and fashionista who relocated to the small southern enclave of Bluebell, Alabama — still struts down the sidewalk in 6-inch heels despite the disapproving looks from the town's residents. "They just don't get [Zoe's style]," notes the actress.
Though the former "O.C." star, who designs shoes for ShoeMint.com in her spare time, is just as into fashion as her alter ego, she notes that they don't exactly have the same taste. "We have some similarities, where I am like, 'Oh my god, I just bought that!' But, I think [Zoe] is a little bit more professional and a little bit more sophisticated, coming from New York," she shares. "Coming from Los Angeles, I am a way more casual jeans-kinda girl."
(Sara Jaye Weiss/StarTraks)While her character often takes fashion risks, Bilson says some looks should be left at home — like her biggest fashion pet peeve: the crop top! "You can do the high-waist thing now and have a crop top, and that's different. But if you do a low-waist jean and you have a crop top — ehhh — you might want to store that." But like any true purveyor of style, Bilson says you need to be open to anything. "I'm not going to say 'that's hideous' because it is fashion and you kind of just have to be all loving."
So what's her must-have item for fall? "I always go for the perfect pullover sweater in fall — always a crewneck, never a V-neck — because it can really make an outfit. You just throw it on and it is just really cute." She adds that the essential piece looks best in autumn colors, because the "deeper colors are just flattering."
Meanwhile, fans of her hit CW show, which airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, can expect plenty of great outfits this season, and drama in store for our favorite local doc. "We've been having fun this season. Zoe is definitely is in a pickle with two boys [Wade and George]. I think people really respond to love triangles. You have your team that you root for. It is really fun and competitive."